Method of stopping seams



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 7

MATTHIAS GARVEY, 0F HAMMONDVILLE, NE\V YORK.

METHOD OF STOPPING SEAMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,037, dated December 2, 1890.

Application filed September 24, 1889. Serial No. 324,933. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHIAS GAEvEY, of Hammondville, in the countyT of Essex and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Method of Stopping Seams, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In boring artesian wells or in drilling for any purpose whatsoever it frequently happens that seams are struck which it is desirable to plug up or stop.

My invention relates to a method of stopping such seams, and is substantially as follows: After the seam has been struck the drill-rod is withdrawn, the bit removed, and a cartridge of wax or paraine, tallow, or analogous material placed in the drill hole or well. A cartridge-placing attachment is connected to the drill-rod, and the cartridge is then subjected to heavy pressure, whereby the material composing the cartridge is forced into the seam that it is sought to stop, all as will be hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the' views.

Figure l is a view of a drill hole or well which has passed through a seam, the cartridge and cartridge-placing attachment being represented in position for use and prior to the time when pressure has been applied, the parts being shown in section. Fig. 2 isa central sectional elevation of the cartridgeplacing attachment, and Fig. 3 is sectional view on line c m of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, l() represents a heavy tube, the upper portion of which is formed with a thread l1, that is arranged for engagement with a tubular drill-rod 12, while the lower portion is formed with a thread a, that is within a shoulder b. The thread a is arranged for engagement with an internal thread formed upon a sleeve 13, the sleeve being employed to hold a packing-ring 14 to place, the arrangement being such that by turning up the sleeve the packing will be bound against the shoulder Z9, as clearly represented in Fig. 2. The extreme lower end of the tube l() constitutes a valve-seat c,

against which there is at times seated a valve l5. This valve l5 has an upwardly-extending stem 1G, that is connected to a plate 17, provided with two or more downwardly-extending legs 18, which normally rest upon the top of. the tube l0, as shown in the drawings, the weight of the valve and its stem holding the parts in the position in which they are shown, thus allowing all water to pass upward, as indicated, until pressure from beneath forces the valve to its seat. Then a vein-such as the one shown at A in Fig. 1 is struck and it becomes necessary to stop the flow from or through said vein, the drill-rod is withdrawn, and a cartridge B, of paraftine or other proper material, is dropped into the drill or well. The apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 is then connected to the drill-rod and lowered to the position in which it is shown in Fig. l, the water passing upward through the bore of the tube l0, after which the cartridge is subjected to heavy pressure, which is accomplished by any desired means, but preferably by tightening a feed-screw on the drill-rod and turning said screw with awrench, thereby forcing said rod and pressure devices down against the cartridge. Then very heavy pressure is required, I employ jack` screws to exert pressure from above on the drill-rods. The packing-ring liprevents any escape of the cartridge material upward about the peripheral face of the tube l0. The application of this heavy pressure, which at times would exceed five thousand pounds to the square inch, will act to force the paraffine or other material of which the cartridge B is composed into the seam A, and immediately after the application of such pressure the drill-rod, and with it the apparatus shown in Fig. 2, may be`withdrawn,and the bit having been again attached to the drill-rod the drilling may be resumed.

I am aware that cement has been employed for closing the veins of drill-holes; but thc cement has to be poured into the holes and allowed to set before it can be bored out, so that the boring can be resumed. Then, again, the cement will not enter the vein to any great extent, and will imperfectly set at the vein, owing to its being kept moist by the water from said vein, it being well known that cement will only properly set when it dries.

IOOI

depositing a cartridge of par-affine or its stated n equivalent in the said hole, the cartridge being of such a size as to ext-end above the vein, and then applying pressure to the top of the said cartridge, whereby the cartridge will be compressed and the paraine forced into the vein to-effeetua-lly close it, as specified.

2. The hereiirdeseribed method of stopping Veins'leadin g to drill-holes, consisting in depositing a parane cartridge in said'holes, the said cartridge being of such a size as to eX- tend above the vein, then lowering a pressing device on the cartridge, then withdrawing the Water above the cartridge, and nally applying pressure to said device, as set forth.

WMATTHIAS GARVEY. n

Witnesses:

J. H. PARKER, F. T. LocKE. 

